Social media competitor analysis is the practice of recording what similar brands post, how often, and how audiences respond, then comparing it with your own results. A repeatable version uses a short list of peers, the same few public metrics each quarter, and a written list of gaps you will test.
Key takeaways
- Social media competitor analysis works best with three to five carefully chosen peers, not a long list of every business in your category.
- Record the same public metrics each time (followers, posting frequency, formats, topics and engagement) so changes over time are meaningful.
- Only public information is fair game, and engagement figures from outside accounts are estimates, so treat comparisons as directional.
- Focus on patterns you can act on, such as formats a peer uses that you do not, rather than on copying individual posts.
- Finish every review with two or three testable ideas, and revisit them at the next review.
Start social media competitor analysis with the right peers
Begin by choosing three to five accounts to benchmark, and make them different on purpose. A useful set usually includes a direct competitor with a similar offer, an aspirational account that is ahead of you, and a smaller or newer account that is growing quickly.
Direct rivals tell you how you look to a shared audience. Aspirational accounts show you what good looks like at the next stage. Fast-growing small accounts often reveal new formats or topics before bigger accounts adopt them.
Also pick the platforms that matter. A brand may be strong on LinkedIn and weak on Instagram, and the analysis should reflect where your own audience is. Analyse one platform at a time and keep results separate, since follower counts and engagement norms do not translate between networks.
Record the public metrics that matter
You can learn a lot from what any visitor can see. Gather the same set of numbers for each competitor and for your own account, at the same time, so the comparison is fair.
- Follower count: note the date you recorded it.
- Posting frequency: count posts over the last 30 days and divide by four to get posts per week.
- Format mix: how many are carousels, short videos, single images, text or links.
- Engagement per post: add visible likes, comments (and shares or views where shown) for a sample of recent posts.
- Top posts: the three most engaged posts from the period, with a note on topic and format.
- Profile basics: bio promise, link destination, highlights or pinned posts and posting tone.
Engagement from outside accounts is visible only in part. Saves, reach and impressions are private to the owner, so your competitor's engagement rate is an estimate built from visible interactions. That is fine for direction, as long as you calculate yours the same way, with the same denominator, when you compare.
Here is an illustrative comparison using made-up round numbers.
| Account | Followers | Posts per week | Avg. visible engagements per post | |---|---|---|---| | You | 5,000 | 3 | 100 | | Competitor A | 10,000 | 5 | 150 | | Competitor B | 4,000 | 2 | 140 |
Reading this table, Competitor A has twice your audience and posts more often, but it earns only 1.5 times your engagements per post, so you are relatively efficient. Competitor B is smaller than you but gets more engagement per post from fewer posts, which makes it worth a closer content review.
Analyse content patterns and topics
Numbers show who is winning on the surface, but content patterns explain why. Review the last 20 to 30 posts for each competitor and note recurring features.
Look for patterns such as:
- Topics or themes that appear again and again, and which earn the most response.
- Formats that dominate the top-performing posts.
- Hook styles, such as questions, bold claims or numbered lists.
- Calls to action, such as "save this", "comment below" or "link in bio".
- Posting days and times, as far as visible timestamps allow.
- Gaps: subjects your audience would care about that nobody covers well.
Group your notes into three headings: things competitors do that you also do, things they do that you do not, and things nobody does well. The last two columns feed your plan. The third is often the most valuable, because it is a chance to stand out instead of imitating.
Turn findings into a test plan
Competitive analysis only pays off when it changes what you publish. Turn your notes into a short list of experiments, not a to-do list of everything a rival does.
- Pick the two or three gaps with the best chance of fitting your brand.
- Write each as a testable statement, such as "Short tutorial videos will earn more saves than our current static posts."
- Run each test over several posts, comparing results to your own baseline.
- Keep what works, drop what does not, and note the outcome.
Avoid copying competitors' posts directly. Imitation rarely matches your voice, and it risks plagiarism or copyright problems. Borrow the underlying idea, such as the format or topic angle, and make the execution your own.
Set a cadence and keep it ethical
A good rhythm is a light check monthly and a full review quarterly. The monthly check takes under an hour: update follower counts, note any new campaigns or formats, and save notable posts. The quarterly review repeats the full process and revisits your test plan.
Stay within public information. Do not create fake accounts to access private content, scrape data in ways that break a platform's terms, or contact a rival's customers using information you should not have. Competitive research is useful because it is open and fair.
Frequently asked questions
How many competitors should I analyse?
Three to five is enough for most teams. More accounts add notes without adding insight, and the quarterly review becomes too long to complete.
Can I see a competitor's private analytics?
No. Reach, impressions, saves and follower demographics are visible only to the account owner. You can only work from public figures such as followers, likes, comments and posting frequency.
How often should I do social media competitor analysis?
A brief monthly update and a fuller quarterly review suits most teams. Reviewing daily rarely helps and tends to push you toward reactive copying.
What if a competitor is much bigger than me?
Compare efficiency rather than size, such as engagement per post relative to followers, and study their formats and topics for ideas. Use a smaller, similar account as your fairer benchmark.
How MultiPost Studio helps
MultiPost Studio has a competitor tracking page where you enter public figures for each competitor, such as follower count, posting frequency and average engagement. It compares them with your own account, shows your rank by followers, and rates you as leading, competitive or trailing on follower ratio, engagement ratio and posting frequency. Nothing is collected automatically, so you update the numbers when you want a fresh comparison. Competitor analytics depends on your plan, so check the pricing page for what each plan includes.